It’s the time of year for a​ little fact checking. Fact or Fiction?

Now – we all know that Godalming’s Tory Councillors work tirelessly for us here in the town that is home to Waverley Towers…

Don’t we?

We will completely ignore the fact that one of our Tory Godalming borough and town councillors is presently residing as a guest of Her Majesty and was forced to hand over his Town Council mayoral chain and seat to others! Because it might be churlish to mention it? So whisper who dares.

However, we will not sit idly by and ignore the lies, damn lies and statistics being scattered like mildew seed corn through the doors of townsfolk. Leaflets, funded by Tory HQ and featured below.

“Hard work behind the scenes saving Green Oaks School?”

WW can tell you who put in the hard work. Green Oaks PTA – parents, and Godalming’s new boy on the block – Cllr Paul Follows!

Ten out of Ten to the Tories for coming up with a work of fiction so well-crafted it should qualify for its own series on Netflix featuring the silent superhero Cllr Andrew Bolton. A man rarely seen and seldom heard. A man from whom residents’ questions seldom receive an acknowledgement, let alone a reply. He’s pictured below with Busbridge’s own Invisible Man, Cllr Peter Martin, someone so busy and multi -hatted, he’s never been seen in public! Except of course like now – at election time! Or perhaps when resigning as SCC chairman after apologising and admitting he had shown a lack of “cultural awareness and good judgement” in an interview for a member of staff.

Well, folks – together with Andrew-Bolton from the Blue – they have just shown another example of ” lack of good judgement.” Because the residents of Godalming cannot be fooled!

The disingenuous triple-hatted politician – Surrey County, Waverley Borough and Godalming Town Council – Peter Martin had been briefing local politicians that Green Oaks School would CLOSE. Indeed his note to Jeremy Hunt MP tipped him off that CLOSURE would be the CERTAIN outcome of the ‘public consultation’.

“It is a great shame that Green Oaks CofE Primary School is set to close and I fully appreciate the concerns of parents who are understandably worried about what will happen to their children and where they will continue their education.

Surrey County Council and the diocese did not take this decision lightly but regrettably the fact remains that the number of pupils are down and in these difficult financial times, the council feels it can better use this resource at an alternative school,” he said.

“I have been assured that the Diocese of Guildford, Surrey CC, and local councillors are trying to do all they can to support the school and its community during this difficult time.”

We understand Peter Martin had tried to brief local councillors in an email seen by us saying:

“It has been agreed that in the best interest of the community involved, all public statements will not scapegoat or blame. There is no party political gain here and Peter guarantees that his party will be silent on this issue and the Lib Dems would also be silent.”

That campaign turned out well for them then!

Because the Lib Dems were anything but silent – putting their weight firmly behind Godalming parents and Green Oaks was saved from the Tory axe.

WW thinks this comment says it all! As we have said so often in the past. TELL THE TRUTH OR SOMEONE WILL TELL IT FOR YOU.

Our advice to Godalming Tories – and for that matter other politicians of any party that try to dupe the public.

This really makes me gringe, I will be standing as an Independent in Milford come May. Putting my head above the parapet again is preferable to watching another 4 years of dissembling by this party who lie by omission locally and nationally. Won’t win but I cannot stand by without making a stand.

Who says you won’t win? Go girl go and tell everyone on every doorstep just how ‘Your Waverley’ handles fraud; air quality issues; the environment; SANGS – Suitable Areas of Natural Greenspace; planning decisions; and lie to the public about their achievements.

Well considering Peter Martin was having discussions with one of the Landowners of the Ockford Park development (Peter Stovold) and Peter Stovold himself told me that Peter Martin had offered him the Green Oak school site in exchange for putting a new school.within the ockford park development, one can draw their oen conclusions about the impartiality of Waverleys councillors who voted unanimously in favour of the development despite much opposition.

Also, as a parent of a child at Green Oak School who worked with Councillor Follows of the Lib Dems (and Penny Rivers, despite it not being her area), we never saw or heard from Peter Martin. He was happy for the school to close as im sure Surrey CC had other plans for the school (im sure that the land would have helped Surreys coffers- i understand Development land is worth about £5.4m per acre or hectare (can anyone confirm?). Andrew Boltons involvement to my knowledge extended to attending a meeting at the Dept of Education where he seemed quite happy to share that he/the Conservatives were in talks with the developers and were trying to secure some money for the school (or that more money would be forthcoming once the development wad approved).

If i have misquoted anyone i apologise but i think this is a fair reflection of events.

THE ONLY POLITICAL PARTY THAT SHOULD BE CLAIMING ANY CREDIT FOR KEEPING GREEN OAK SCHOOL OPEN IS THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS, LED BY CLLR. PAUL FOLLOWS.

The Conservatives are NOT welome in the school IMO. Note that there photo was taken OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL GATES, probably out of hours or during the school holidays when there would be very little chance of them running into any of their constituents.

Fear not Mr Danes – treating the voting fodder of Godalming like a load of mushrooms, keeping them in the dark about their antics and throwing a shovel-load of sh*t over them will no longer work for the Conservatives. Because the smell of concrete is overpowering the smell from their hipocrasy and propoganda.

Thank you for posting this WW. I want to note a quick quote from the chair of the PTFA at Green Oak School – who said this on FB earlier in response to one of the candidates (one of the ones standing against me actually).

“Believe me as chair of the PTFA I can assure you NO ONE from the Conservative party contacted us to offer assistance – as a local resident I did not hear any offers of support off any of them and as a parent yet again no offers of support”

In the interest of balance though I have submitted our latest Lib Dem leaflet to WW for the same fact check if they would be willing?

I must admit I saw this leaflet for the first time while sitting around a table with people prepping for the local elections and I wasn’t able to hide my anger at it.

I think ‘Sensible Planning’ has just become a trigger phrase for me as a result….

I love the idea that Cllr Martin somehow didn’t think we (and especially me) would not oppose them trying to shut Green Oak. I would NEVER have let that happen uncontested. As I will not on the matter of the local Children Centre.

As we have said before – Tell the truth or someone else will tell it for you.

Fear not Cllr Follows – we shall be fact checking all your literature as rigorously as we shall check eveyone elses. The residents of our borough deserve to be told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth – so please everyone out there – help us rid this borough of this unbalanced dominant administration once and for all.